I'll Always Be Here (SoMa, SoulxMaka)
by barelyholdingon475
Summary: Maka was injured in battle leaving Soul feeling guilty and doing his best to help her. But the two have feelings for each other that they've been keeping bottled up inside... Will they confess? Or will the two remain just partners...
1. Chapter 1

No. I most certainly do NOT own Soul Eater or any of the characters. They belong to the ever amazing Atsushi Ōkubo

"You ready to own this fool, Maka?" Soul Eater grinned. Maka Albarn smiled approvingly back. The young weapon transformed into a scythe and flew into Maka's hand. The strange creature growled and charged the young meister. Maka dodged and swung Soul, creating a gash across the thing's chest. It threw back its head in laughter and jumped back. "You really think a small wound like that will kill me, girl? I am ten times as powerful as you and your little scythe. He can't even control his own madness!" he howled. Maka could feel Soul's wavelength waver, in anger. "Don't listen to him, Soul, he's wrong!" Maka shouted, charging the creature. He swiped at her, to no avail and she jumped to dodge and slashed across his neck and chest. He staggered to the ground, as Maka went in to make the final blow.

"Maka NO!" Soul screamed. But she didn't see his claw in time. The creature slashed across her stomach, and rammed into her, knocking her into the nearest building. Maka groaned in pain as she felt the blood seep out. Soul was already on his feet standing above her, his arm a scythe. "S-soul…" she whispered.

"It's okay Maka, stay down," he commanded. Though he was worried. Without his meister, there was very little he could do. Luckily, their enemy was injured, the last attack took away too much energy. Soul charged him, dodged his swipes and hooked his scythe arm around the thing's neck.

"Now to make sure you never touch _my _Maka again, you son of a bitch," Soul growled, as he proceeded to behead the monster. He ignored the soul that came out and ran to Maka's side. She was shivering and clutching her stomach.

"C-collect the soul," she sputtered.

"Maka, right now I don't give two shits about the soul, we need to get you back to Stein," Soul replied.

"Get. The soul," she argued. He rolled his eyes and ate the soul. Soul then quickly scooped his meister up and ran back to the entrance of Death City. He ripped off his jacket and wrapped it around her as she shivered, taking shallow breaths.

"Stein!" Soul yelled as he burst into the infirmary. Stein immediately stood up and took Maka out of Soul's arms.

"What happened here?" Stein asked.

"Battle outside of Death City," Soul replied, catching his breath. Stein nodded.

"You might want to leave for this part. Go home, get some rest," Stein said. Soul looked at his meister. He desperately wanted to stay, but she needed space, and he was also exhausted. So he walked toward the door, but took one look back. He nearly fainted when he saw Maka without her shirt, blood covering her stomach and chest. He himself had blood on his shirt. Soul stumbled out the door, and instead of going home, sat on the bench.

"This is my fault," he muttered to himself. He should have protected her, the way he always does, not only as her weapon, but as her friend. Not to mention he was head-over-heels for her.

"It isn't your fault, Soul," a familiar voice said. Soul looked up to see Death the Kid standing above him.


	2. Chapter 2

**KEEP IN MIND I STILL DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER OR THE CHARACTERS 3**

Soul looked back down at the ground, not daring to look his friend in the eye. "Thanks, but it's my job to protect her," Soul uttered miserably. "And I failed,"

"I can understand that, but in this battle, you couldn't get there in time. Are you quite sure you're just saying that as her weapon?" Kid replied. Did he really see how Soul felt about his meister? Soul didn't know he was that obvious. Kid wouldn't brush off the question. "Well?" he said and raised his eyebrow.

"No. I'm not saying it just as her weapon. I'm saying it as her friend and roommate. I'm saying it as someone who's seen her the way no one else has. I'm saying it as someone who….. loves her," he sighed, defeated. But he looked up to see someone else replacing Kid. It was Spirit, Maka's father. Shockingly, he grinned.  
"Well it's about time," he chuckled and took a seat beside Soul. He wasn't going completely nuts and beating Soul up, which was surprising. Spirit sighed and shook his head. "I'm actually quite relieved it's you, no one knows my Maka like you,"

"Wait? You're not mad? She's in the infirmary because of me!" Soul yelled.

"Soul, you can't always protect Maka. She's going to take her blows, just like you have," he said gently. Soul traced his finger over his scar. For once, Spirit was right. His scar was not her fault, and this was not his fault. He couldn't do anything in time. But still, he felt he should've done better. Is this how she felt? Yes, she kept talking about wanting to get stronger. He put his head in his hands as more guilt washed over him. When she got out….

"Soul," Stein walked out. He leaned against the wall. "Maka will be fine, she just needs some rest. Spirit if you want to see her you may, just stay calm. Soul, you should go home." Soul shook his head and stayed on the bench. Though as the door closed, he felt himself drifting off into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Soul Eater or the characters! Thank you **

Soul awoke still on the bench outside of Stein's office. It was morning. _Maka _he instantly thought. Maybe today he could see her. He didn't hear Stein inside. So Soul paced, wandering around. And there he was again. Kid stood stood against the wall.

"Well? Are you going in or not?" he said. Soul scowled.

"Why are you pushing me so hard? Why are you so concerned? And where are the others?" Soul demanded.

"I advised the others to give you two space. I'm concerned because I'm your friend and Maka's. And I'm pushing you because I know how you feel about Maka," he answered simply. Soul sighed.

"Thanks, Kid. I'm just nervous as to whether or not she'll be mad or…" he trailed off. To Soul's surprise, Kid actually smiled.

"I've never seen you this nervous. And I think you know Maka won't be mad. Now go see her," he said and walked off.

Soul took a deep breath.

He put his hand on the doorknob

And twisted it.

And pushed it open.

He peeked in and saw her. Even injured, Maka looked beautiful. Soul smiled and walked over to her bedside, and took a seat beside her.

Maka couldn't see. Everything was black and she was unconscious. The last thing she remembered was Soul picking her up and… and that was it. So much pain. She could feel it in her torso, a little in her chest and arms, and the collision with the brick wall scratched up her back and some of her face. She must've looked like a mess. But then she felt a wavelength of a soul. Soul! He was here with her! The wavelengths were filled with so much sadness, worry and…guilt? No, this couldn't be Soul, was it Crona? No, it was Soul. Why did he feel this way? Maka yurned for him. She wanted to reach out and hug him, reassure him. He shouldn't feel guilty for what happened, it wasn't his fault. He was her hero. Not only that, he was her friend and roommate and…

Maka's breathing wasn't shallow anymore, thank God, Soul sighed with relief. She slept so peacefully, Soul had to take it all in. Very gently, he took her small hand. It felt so fragile to him, like it could break at any minute. And he didn't want to let go. He never would, he had to tell her how he felt. But would she feel the same? What if after that they couldn't resonate? He pushed the thought aside. He had to, it was unbearable. Another thought came in his head. She would probably have a scar. Soul looked down at the ground and whispered ever so quietly, "I'm so sorry, Maka. This is all my fault."

"No. It's not your fault, baka ," a voice whispered. A beautiful, gentle voice. Soul turned to see big, beautiful eyes that could only belong to Maka Albarn staring up at him. She smiled. Soul internally rejoiced.

"Hey," he smiled. "That was quite a blow you took."

"Yeah, I guess. What about you? You look exhausted. You did take on a potential kishin on your own," she commented. Soul shrugged.

"It was nothing," then he frowned and looked down. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you."

Maka groaned.

"You baka, there was nothing you could do, so don't go off blaming yourself." She paused. She sounded like him when Crona…

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it does no good. I'm just glad you're awake. You lost a lot of blood," he said beckoning to his jacket, shirt and her clothes hanging up in the corner. Maka nodded. Just then Stein walked in, smiling. "Well Maka, good to see you're awake. Hello Soul," he said.

"Hello Professor Stein!" Maka said happily. She already sounded recovered, though the exhaustion showed in her eyes and wounds. Soul then noticed he was still holding her hand, but she didn't seem to notice, so he didn't let go.

"Miss Maka, you'll have to stay here for a couple more days, then you could head back home with your partner. Speaking of him… could you please send him home after all this? He won't listen to any of us, he was sitting on that bench all night, still in that bloody shirt of his," Stein clucked.

"Soul!" Maka shouted, "You didn't go home?! You have to be exhausted! what the hell? You had better go home RIGHT after this, do you hear me? " she scolded. Soul rolled his eyes.

"Pardon me for being concerned,"

"You could've been concerned while you slept!"

"How is that even possible?!"

"Alright, that's enough you two," Stein interrupted. "Soul, your partner needs rest, if you don't mind. And so do you. So go home and sleep."

Soul rolled his eyes and walked towards the door. "Sweet dreams, Maka," he grumbled.

"Will you come back later, Soul?" Maka asked.

Soul grinned, "Sure thing," he said and walked out. He sighed with relief. She would be okay. She wasn't mad. And that was a relief.


	4. Chapter 4

**I STILL DON'T OWN SOUL EATER :B**

Fast forward- Two Days

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Maka?" Stein asked.

"Yes, Professor Stein, I'll be fine. Thanks!" Maka said cheerily.

"Alright, stop by if anything comes up,"

Maka sighed happily and glanced over at Soul. He grinned back. "You ready to go home?" he asked.

"Hell yeah! I can't wait to sleep in my own bed!" she replied. Soul smiled as the two walked back to their apartment. Maka noticed Soul looked a bit nervous, but at the same time he seemed to be holding back a smile. But she pushed aside the thought and smiled when they came back to the apartment. "Uh, let me get it," Soul walked quickly forward and got the door. _Unusually courteous? _Maka raised an eyebrow. Soul opened the door, and Maka walked in, to be greeted by the smell of her favorite meal, a sparkling clean apartment and all her friends smiling at her in the dining area. Maka gasped and turned towards Soul "Did you organize all this?!" Soul looked at the ground and smiled.

"Heh, yeah," he said. She tackled him with a hug.

"HEY ARE YOU LOVEBIRDS JUST GONNA STAND THERE OR DO WE HAFTA EAT WITHOUT YOU?!" Blackstar screamed, causing the two turned redder than tomatoes.

"Makaaaaa….CHOP!" Maka yelled, slamming Blackstar on the head, making a small fountain of blood pour out of his forehead. Her friends laughed and shook their heads.

"Well you look much better, Maka-chan," Tsubaki smiled. Maka smiled and talked to her friend. While the group conversed, Soul sat next to Kid, and they had a silent conversation through facial expressions and body language.

_Well Soul? Did you make a move?_

_**Of course not! She just got out of the infirmary!**_

_So?_

_**I am NOT adding on to her stress.**_

_She doesn't look stressed to me._

_**Whatever! I'm not doing it**_

_I don't see why not. Even Spirit could see you two together._

_**I don't know, I feel weird, unsure. I don't know what this stupid feeling is and it's so uncool**_

_That's called being nervous, Soul._

_**Well it's lame.**_

_It'll stop if you just make a damn move on her._

**…**

"Uuuuuum what're you guys doing over there?" Liz said. The boys looked up to see the entire table looking at them. "Nothing," Soul grumbled. So they shrugged it off and continued joking and talking. An hour or two passed when Soul and Maka's friends left the apartment, and Kid gave Soul a meaningful look, and Soul glared back.

"What's going on with you and Kid?" Maka wandered innocently.

"Nothing," Soul grumbled, then changed the subject, "Want to watch a movie?" She nodded and they picked out an old movie. As they watched the movie, Maka started to drift off, until she was passed out on the opposite side of the couch. Soul chuckled and got up. Typical Maka. He scooped her up and carried his meister to her room. She groaned and peeked her eyes open as he layed her in bed. "I'm so sore…" she whispered.

"Yeah, I guessed. You should stay in bed tomorrow, I'll get medicine for you in the morning," Soul said as he covered her with a blanket. "You're so sweet Soul," she murmured as she started to drift off again. "Thank you for everything,"

Soul grinned and walked towards the door. "No problem," but she was already asleep. "Goodnight, Maka."


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Soul Eater or the characters, as you are aware!**

**Warning! This chapter is rather graphic!**

**Sorry for the shorty 3 **

There he was again. That creature they fought. In her dreams he was very alive, and attacking again. But this time he was larger. More powerful, and traveling towards her at dangerous speeds. "Soul?" she called out. But the weapon was nowhere in sight. "Soul!" she shouted as the creature pounced. It sliced open her stomach again and ripped her arms and torso to shreds. She screamed in protest and called out for her partner. There he was! He came closer as the creature continued to attack Maka. Depite her screams for help, he chuckled. Soul was in his pinstripe suit. Which meant… there he was. The little demon, laughing along with Soul. "Alright, that's enough," Soul shooed the creature aside. He kneeled down beside Maka as she tried to catch her breath "Poor little thing," he said smugly. "So weak, you couldn't take a small blow," he laughed. Maka struggled for breath and tried to call for Soul as he got up. "Don't even try, sweetheart, you're too weak for me. Sick her, beast,"

"Soul!" she screamed as the creature pounced again. She screamed for him over and over, then felt her body hit the bedroom floor, but she was not completely awake, and continued screaming in pain.

Soul was sitting awake in his room, listening to jazz, and thinking about what Kid said. Soul silently cursed his friend for being right. Kid made an excellent point, but there was just no way Soul was—_what's that? _Soul thought he heard something. Though his headphones were soundproof. Anyways, there was no way he—_yes. What is that noise? _Something was definitely making noise he thought. He removed his headphones and

Screaming.

_Screaming._

_It belongs to a female_

"_**MAKA!" **_

Soul ripped the covers off his bed, and sprinted down the hall. With his arm already transformed, he was in Maka's room in less than two seconds. No enemy in the room. But Maka lay on the floor screaming. Soul changed his arm back and was by her side in an instant. "Maka!" Soul said as he tried to wake her, her screams died out, but she was still shaking and crying. Soul took hold of her shoulders, sat her up, and then layed her against his bare chest. He scooped up her legs and brought her close to him.

"Shhh Maka, it's okay. Calm down," he hushed. Maka's eyes flittered open as she realized where she was and cried out again, this time in pain. Soul looked down and saw blood staining her nightie. A wound looked to be opened. "Shit," he muttered and grabbed a nearby towel. He cautiously slipped it under her gown, and pressed against the wound. Maka yelled, and then died down, still crying. He set the towel aside and brought her closer to him, holding her and stroking her hair. She tried to explain. "I-I saw it again. Th—thing. It.. killing…demon…y—you….." she broke down again.

"Shhhhh Maka it's okay. I'm here. I'll _always _be here, do you understand? I won't let anything hurt you anymore. Nothing's going to hurt my Maka," he whispered as he gently kissed her head. Maka wiped away her tears and shivered, huddling against his chest. "S-Soul…"

"You don't have to explain, Maka, not if you don't want to. Go back to sleep, I'll take you to Stein tomorrow," Soul reassured her. The young meister was exhausted, and relaxed. She fell asleep to the feeling of Soul's chest moving up and down, and listening to his breathing. She felt so safe with him, and relived the words he spoke

"_Nothing's going to hurt my Maka_"

"_I won't let anything hurt you"_

"_I'll always be here"_

Always.


	6. Chapter 6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maka woke with a groan. Her wounds hurt. "Morning, Maka," a voice said. She sat up to see Soul sitting in a chair across from her bed. He wore nothing but pajama pants and a crooked smile, causing her to blush. What happened last night… was that all real? The dried blood stain on her nightie confirmed that it did indeed happen. "You're going to Stein today." Soul said. "But not before breakfast, eat up." Soul gestured to a tray on the table beside her. "Thank you Soul," she said quietly. Soul walked out to get dressed, telling her to holler if she needed anything. Maka smiled at her friend. He looked so cute when he was tired. She was also so grateful at everything he was doing for her. Reaching for her clothes, she slipped on sweatpants and a dark blue tank top, and gulped down breakfast.

"Are you ready, Maka?" Soul said at her doorway. Maka nodded and was about to get up when Soul walked over, and picked her up, bridal style. "Oh no you don't," he grinned.

"Soul! Put me down I can WALK!" Maka yelled.

Soul laughed and swung her around, causing her to squeal and clutch him tighter. Soul nearly dropped her when he was greeted outside by Blackstar and Tsubaki. Blackstar's eyes widened and burst into laughter. "AND WHAT'S GOING ON **HERE **LOVEBIRDS?"

"Blackstar! Stop it!" Tsubaki chided. Soul shook his head.

"Calm down Blackstar, I'm just getting her to Stein's office," he rolled his eyes.

"Psh, whatever you say dude," the blue haired youth said. Soul set her on his motorcycle and drove to Dr. Stein's office. "Ah, Mr. Soul I see you've brought Maka," he said as Soul sat Maka down in his office.

"I'm just going to give Maka some medicine, maybe she should stay here for the day and rest," Stein said. Soul nodded and, without thinking, kissed Maka on the forehead and made his way outside, not noticing Maka turning a rather dark shade of red.

"Whar the HELL was that?!" he scolded himself. He growled in frustration and kicked the wall of the building. Soul groaned when he heard chuckling.

"Goddamnit Kid, stop following me," he muttered. Kid grinned and smiled innocently.

"Why, I was just walking by and saw that little scene. You should've gotten her on the cheek," Death said. Soul growled and was about to walk away when Blackstar, Tsubaki, Liz and Patty greeted him. They all had suspicious smiles on their faces. Soul turned to Kid and shook his head and laughed, giving up. "Looks like you all got it, eh?" they laughed and agreed.

"Well until Maka is better, guess what we're doing?" Liz began.

"You're going to ask her on a date! And we're helping you plan!" Patty squealed. Soul groaned, not looking forward to what was to come.

"Okay! First the ladies will give you a lesson on how this works and how you dress," Liz said, pulling his arm. The girls walked away with a struggling Soul, silently begging for help from Blackstar and Kid, but they just smiled and waved.

"Okay! First thing's first, we have to find a place," Liz began.

"Uh, there's a really nice place down South avenue," Soul suggested. The girls agreed and decided to move on to dressing.

"A nice suit will do," Tsubaki said quietly. "You have one, right?" Soul nodded. Soul sat through what felt like forever of lecturing, planning, and (ugh) role-playing. By the time they were done Soul was ready to puke. And strangle the guys for letting the ladies do this to him. So Soul went back to the apartment, crashed on the couch, and proceeded to sleep.

He later woke to a fierce knock on his door. "Soul!" a boyish voice yelled. "Soul! You might want to see this, hurry up!" It was Blackstar. Soul was immediately alarmed. He didn't sound at all proud and irritating, like usual. This time it was urgent. Soul flew open the door to see the face of the blue-haired boy, who was out of breath.

"What is it?" Soul asked.

"Tha-that creature you last fought with Maka.. it has a twin," Blackstar panted. Soul was filled with anger. It may not have been the creature that injured Maka, but it was close enough.

"Kid is already there, fighting him, you want to jump in?"

"Hell yeah I do, let's go!" Soul jumped out of his apartment and the two boys ran off into the night.

"Liz, Patty!" Death the Kid yelled.

"Got it!" they called back and turned into guns.

"Blood Runner, your days of terror are over, your twin has been defeated, and now you must die!" Kid yelled as he charged the ugly creature. It was much larger than it's twin and was red instead of black.

"Kid! We got your back!" Blackstar yelled as they rode in. Kid smiled at them, but it faded when he saw Soul.

"Soul! How can you fight without Maka?" Kid. Soul answered by only turning his arm into a scythe. Kid nodded and shot at the creature. It roared and swung at Kid, who dodged and continued shooting. Blackstar whipped out Tsubaki and attacked, while Soul slashed at Blood Runner. But the creature was too strong for a weapon without it's meister and swatted Soul away. He landed roughly on the ground and groaned. There was no way he could do this. Not without—

"Need some help, Soul,"

Soul looked up and felt his heart leap in his chest. There she was, his beautiful meister. Her battle wounds and scars showed, but she stood proud and strong, looking healed and ready. Not to mention she looked better than usual. Instead of her normal uniform jacket, tie, etc, she wore a black skirt and grey tank top, showing off her long arms and legs. Soul smiled with utter joy.

"Maka!" he cried and ran towards her..

"You ready to kick this guys ass?" he smiled.

"Ready as ever, Soul-kun," and with that landed a kiss on his cheek. Soul transformed into a scythe before he could blush.

"BLOOD RUNNER! YOUR TIME IS UP!" Maka shouted as she charged. Kid and Blackstar, who were still trying to take him down, cheered for their friend.

"Alright, Maka!" Blackstar cheered. "Welcome back!"

"Good to see you're well Maka!" Kid called to her. "Now if you'll help us…"

"No problem! Soul?" she asked. Soul knew what she needed to do.

"LET'S GO! SOUL RESONANCE!"

"That's one hell of a daughter you've got there, Spirit," Stein commented. Stein, Spirit, and Lord Shinigami were sitting on the top of a city building, watching the battle go down.

"Yeah, she really is something else. I've never seen a student recover that quick," Lord Death agreed.

"She isn't recovered. She did rest for the day but she's excellent at hiding pain, and insisted that she help her friends. I predict that right after this battle she'll immediately fall asleep," Stein said disapprovingly.

"Even if she does, she's a strong girl. Just like her mother," Spirit said, sighing.

"Agreed," Death said. "They all make one great team, they cooperate very well, I think they'll be together for a long time to come,"

"Yaaaah! No one swats the mighty Blackstar!" Blackstar screamed, attacking Blood Runner. The giant creature was almost defeated, but was still putting up a fight.

"Maka? Care to take the last blow?" Kid asked. Even Blackstar stood down, as Maka charged Blood Runner. With one swing of Soul, the creature cried out in pain and was defeated. Maka stood proudly above her kill, Soul looking up at the magnificent creature that was his meister. But it was shortly celebrated as Maka was brought to her knees, exhaustion overcoming her, as Stein predicted. "Maka!" Soul shouted as he transformed back and was by her side in an instant. She smile. "It's okay, Soul I'm just really tired. Help me up?" she asked. Instead of just pulling her up, Soul took her in his arms and fully supported her body, wrapping her in his arms. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "You did beautifully, Maka, don't ever stop being amazing," he said as she blushed. He proceeded to do what he had been wanting to do for a long time. He put his hand on her cheek and properly, but gently, kissed her softly on the lips. Maka smiled and giggled.

"Hey now, what'd I do?" Soul asked, giving her a puppy face.

"Nothing I've just wanted this for so long," she giggled as she pulled him into another kiss.

**No, it ain't done yet.**

**But just a little note from the author! :]**

**Thank you for all the favorites and followers! I hope you're enjoying my story so far. **

**~artemis**


	7. Update

**Quick update**

Hey everyone! 17 followers that's **amazing! **Thank you! Unfortunately I have a minor setback. My computer is literally falling apart. Seriously. As I type this, the only thing that is keeping this laptop from falling apart in my arms is a couple pieces of duct tape.

I'm gonna continue writing chapter 7, but seriously. This thing is going to break any day now.

Bye now! ;]

~artemis


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